Arved Grass

Pacific Fruit Express class R-40-23 steel refrigerator cars were ordered in 1946; deliveries began in January, 1947, and until that October. See Anthony W. Thompson, Robert J. Church, and Bruce H. Jones, Pacific Fruit Express, 2nd edition, page 173. The cars were numbered 46703 to 48702 (2,000 cars) and 5001 to 8000 (3,000 cars). Production was as follows:

• 46703 – 47202 (500 cars) were built by American Car and Foundry Company (ACF) between July and November 1947
• 47203 – 47702 (500 cars) were built by General American Transportation Company (GATC) between July and November 1947
• 47703 – 48202 (500 cars) were built by Pullman-Standard Car Manufacturing Company (P-S) between April and June 1947
• 48203 – 48702 (500 cars) were built by Pacific Car and Foundry Company (PC&F) between June and October 1947
• 5001 – 6000 (1000 cars) were built by The Mount Vernon Car Manufacturing Company
• 6001 – 6500 (500 cars) were built by American Car and Foundry Company (ACF)
• 6501 – 7000 (500 cars) were built by General American Transportation Company (GATC)
• 7001 – 7500 (500 cars) were built by Pullman-Standard Car Manufacturing Company (P-S)
• 7501 – 8000 (500 cars) were built by Pacific Car and Foundry Company (PC&F)

Perhaps a kind reader who has production information on the 3,000 cars in the 5001 to 8000 series will leave a comment.

Despite 5 different builders, the cars are built from the same PFE drawings. Production details varied only with the equipment installed. Dick Harley summarized PFE drawing 283-C-8962, “Allocation of Specialties” on the Yahoo! Steam Era Freight Car discussion group (message 26019, dated 25. November 2003)  as follows:

Running Boards & Brake Steps:

• 4000 - Morton, car numbers: 6001-8000, 46703-48702
• 1000 - U.S.Gypsum, car numbers: 5001-6000

Hand Brakes -

• 1250 - Ajax, car numbers: 5001-5250, 7501-8000, 48203-48702
• 1250 - Equipco, car numbers: 6001-6500, 6751-7000, 46703-47202
• 1250 - Universal, car numbers: 5751-6000, 7001-7500, 47703-48202
• 750 - Miner, car numbers: 5251-5750, 47203-47452
• 500 - Superior, car numbers: 6501-6750, 47453-47702

Air Brakes -

• 3500 – New York, car numbers: 5500-5999, 6001-7500, 46703-48202
• 1500 - Westinghouse, car numbers: 5001-5499, 6000, 7501-8000, 48203-48702

Door Fasteners -

• 2500 – Miner, car numbers: 5001-7000, 46703-47202
• 2500 – Universal, car numbers: 7001-8000, 47203-48702

As a model railroader, I’m interested in how these cars varied cosmetically. The variation in details required to model the fleet seem staggering, although, on the other hand, it may be possible to find a car number suitable for any assembly of parts. But if you want to model what’s common, rather than what’s unusual, where do we begin?

First off, we can look at what these differences really mean. Morton running boards had a circular pattern, while U.S. Gypsum running boards had a diamond pattern. These are very obvious differences. The hand brakes are also a distinctive feature of the cars, with the brake wheel being much more prominent than the gearbox it attaches to. It’s also quite obvious. These details help to define specific cars in the class.

On the other hand, there is no cosmetic difference between Westinghouse and New York (AB) Brake equipment, per message 108125, dated 23. March 2012 by Dennis Storzek (of Accurail) on the Yahoo! Steam Era Freight Car discussion group.  So we can ignore that difference.

Similarly, on the matter of the difference between Miner and Universal door fasteners, in message 26030 (on the Yahoo! Steam Era Freight Car discussion group), dated 25. November 2003, Richard H. Hendrickson writes:

I think I can (tell the difference between Miner and Universal door fasteners) … though the difference is certainly very subtle. After studying photos of cars with both types, the only detail that appears different to me is that on the Miner latches there was a small catch at the left end of the lower fitting that the latch bar locked into which could be turned up to a vertical position to hold the left door in place when the right hand door was opened.

So, for this analysis, we’re going to concentrate on those most obvious differences:

• First (46703 – 48702) or second (5001 – 8000) number series
• Morton or U.S. Gypsum running boards and brake steps
• Handbrakes

Well, for lack of a better starting point, let’s start with Tony Thompson’s goal of modeling 1 in 1000. Out of 5000 R-40-23s, that would mean modeling 5 cars. One could pick 5 numbers at random, and then model those cars, we could choose one from each of the 5 builders, or we could do some more digging to find representative cars within the class based on the most common features or specialties.

With 2,000 cars in the 46703 to 48702 series, and 3,000 cars in the 5001-8000 series, it would be a safe assumption that 2 of our representative reefers would be in the first series (46703 – 48702) and 3 of our cars would be in the second number series (5001 – 8000).

Now we have to look at the representative details for each series. I constructed a spreadsheet to look at the details statistically, and figure out what was more or less common. For example, the 5001 – 8000 series has 1000 cars with U.S. Gypsum running boards (5001-6000), and 2000 cars with Morton running boards (6001 – 8000). Well, the math stays easy. One of our cars will be in the 5001 – 6000 series with U.S. Gypsum running boards, and two will be in the 6001 – 8000 series with Morton running boards.

Of the 6001 – 8000 series of cars equipped with Morton running boards, 500 (25%) had Ajax hand brakes, 750 (38%) had Equipco hand brakes, no cars had Miner hand brakes, 250 (12%)  had Superior hand brakes, and  500 (25%)  had Universal brake wheels. Here we have to look more towards statistics.  That is, a random first series car with Morton running boards is more likely to have an Equipco brake wheel, and slightly less likely to have either an Ajax or a Universal brake wheel. So, I’d build one R-40-23 with Morton running boards and an Equipco brake wheel, and another with Morton running boards and an Ajax or Universal brake wheel (flip a coin).

Rather than bore you with the details of all the statistics, here’s what I came up with for a representative fleet:

1^st and 2^nd car: Morton running boards (both).  Pick 2 out of the following three options:

• Ajax brake wheel: numbers 48203-48702
• Equipco brake wheel: numbers 46703-47202
• Universal brake wheel: numbers 47703-48202

3^rd car: Morton running board, Equipco hand brake, numbers 6001-6500 or 6751-7000 .

4^th car: Morton running board, Ajax brake wheel, numbers 7501-8000, or Universal brake wheel, numbers 7001-7500.

5^th car: U.S. Gypsum running board, Miner hand brake, numbers 5251-5750.

There are other ways, of course. As I mentioned, you could pick the number at random. Another possibility is to find a trainsheet from a train that ran in the district you’re modeling in the era you’re modeling, and pick one of the cars in that train. In short, I’m not saying (nor am I even pretending) to say this is the way to choose what to model, but it’s an approach I’m using to model my PFE R-40-23 fleet.

The car in our lead photo is repainted. Originally, R-40-23s were painted with a color UP herald:

Don’t confuse this logo with the 1969 logo, which uses a more modern lettering style (I’ve made this mistake):

The R-40-23 cars were also originally painted with black hardware and tack boards. Cars (re)painted after 1950 had the black and white logo, shown in the lead photograph. PFE adopted a black and transparent version of UP’s revised 1950 logo when it was made official:

Besides the color UP herald, the 2C (short for two heralds-per-side, with UP in color), has the SP logo towards the center of the car, so both sides look the same (p.176 in the PFE book, 2nd edition). The 1950 and later paint schemes have the SP logo toward the B (brake wheel) end of the car, as the car in my lead photo has.

Thanks for reading.

Part III was supposed to have more on the construction of my PFE R-40-26, but since part II, Tony Thompson has written an unprecedented three consecutive blog entries about this car. You can find them here:

• Kitbashing a PFE R-40-26
• Kitbashing a PFE R-40-26: Update
• Kitbashing a PFE R-40-26: Update 2

Tony’s raised a few questions I thought I’d answer, the best I can, at least. Tony has researched the PFE fleet far more than anyone else I’ve talked to. His book, Pacific Fruit Express, co-authored with Robert J. Church and Bruce H. Jones, remains the definative work on the Pacific Fruit Express and it’s fleet of Refridgerator cars. He’s the dean of PFE (and SP freight car) modeling. I’m only a humble student.

Tony does a splendid job giving the background of the paint scheme as it transitioned from the color Union Pacific shield version to the black and white herald on this car. He points out that the one side of the Accurail car is painted correctly, but  that he hasn’t seen the other side to comment if Accurail had correctly flipped the logos. On this car, the SP logo should be on the B-end (or Brakewheel end) of the car, and the UP logo should be on the A end of the car.

As I showed in Part I, the logos are properly reversed. If you can live with the much darker Reefer Orange paint, you’re set!

Tony then notes that the car lacks the one-inch black stripe above and below the reporting marks.

The use of these stripes would be discontinued by PFE in the spring of 1952, about the time construction of R-40-26 cars was completed.

Actually, in the PFE book, it’s mentioned that the AAR discontinued the requirement for the stripes above and below the reporting marks in March 1952. In the first installment, Tony presented this photograph of PFE 8027, built 8-51:

And in a much earlier post about the PFE fleet of 1953 in general, Tony had presented this photo of PFE 9036, built 3-52:

I’m going to make an educated guess and say these photos are of fairly new cars, and are not repaints.  Why? The weight data shows NEW, and not a reweigh, which would have been required within 30 months on a new car built in the 1949-1962 era (see Reweigh Dates on Freight Cars by Tony Thompson, a corrected version of the article which appeard in the April 2011 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman (RMC), pages 72 and 73. Steel cars in this era had a planned repaint cycle of roughly 10 years, so it would be very rare for a car to be repainted before it’s first reweigh date. But, as they say, accidents happen, and so do repaints!

These photos show that the stripe was in fact included on some cars, but by 3-52, when PFE 9036 was painted, the stripe was already omitted. PFE was very quick to eliminate those stripes (and the cost to paint them)! The Accurail car is lettered with a higher number, and with a later build date, so again, if you can get past the too dark Reefer Orange paint, the car’s lettering is very accurate. I would feel safe ommitting the stripe on any R-40-26 numbered 9036 and higher (that is, 9036 – 10000). That’s not just a few cars at the end of production – that’s roughly 1/3rd the fleet, and that’s assuming the “worst case,” that 9036 was the first to have the stripes ommitted!

There are some other changes that I find interesting, though. 8027 has a fan control box below the side sill. PFE 9036 does not. PFE 9036 has a defect card holder near the (fake!) PRECO ventilator pillow block (Tony calls this a “Fan Plate,” but the Mechanical Engineer side of my brain fights this). Since I only had the first photo, of PFE 9036, to work from, I’m going to model my first R-40-26 as one of  the later cars. I will probably do an earlier car later, and will model from the photo of PFE 8027, and include the black stripes and fan cotrol box.

The last question Tony raises concerns the roof walk . The kit’s roof walk is a very nice cast Apex brand, with the slotted pattern. Not quite as nicely detailed as, say, the Tichy running boards, but nice. Tony says that most R-40-26s had Morton brand, with  the round hole pattern. Plano to the rescue! Although marketed as being for the Intermountain R-40-23, I think the Plano roofwalks are suitable for all the R-40-x 40′ PFE Reefers. They not only have the Apex and Morton pattern available, but the diamond shaped Gypsum brand.

Back to modeling in Part IV – soon!

On a lark, I bought an Accurail #8504 Plug Door refrigerator car (reefer). It was an impulse buy – on sale for $12 at M. B. Klein. I don’t remember reading about this car, especially in discussions of PFE Reefer models. When the model came, I found a kit that was very darkly painted, but had nice crisp lettering. And in that lettering, it was noted that the car was an R-40-26. To the uninitiated, this follows the Harriman classification system for rolling stock. That is, R for refrigerator car, 40 for a nominal capacity of 40 tons, and 26 being the 26th design in this type of car on the Pacific Fruit Express (a company owned jointly by Southern Pacific and Union Pacific). Introduced in 1951, this is a landmark car on the PFE, in that it was the first design to use the sliding plug door instead of the flush hinged leaf design that was common up to this point. It is a very modern reefer for the steam-diesel transition era modeler.

After a bit of research, I found a post by Dennis Storzek, owner of Accurail, on the Steam Era Freight Car List:

The plug door car is specifically a WFEX car (don’t have the numbers handy) but FGEX and BREX both had similar cars. spotting features include diagonal panel roof, improved Dreadnaught ends with the one ‘squished’ rib, and plain lapped side sheets with single rivet rows.

The June 2012 issue of Model Railroader (page 72) has a favorable review by Steven Otte of this car in the Burlington Refrigerator Express (BREX) scheme. If you’re modeling the Fruit Grower’s Express, this model is very good. I think Dennis did a great job bringing this car to market.

But how does this car compare to the real R-40-26? Well, not that bad, really! The biggest differences are on the sides. Lets take a look at a nice broadside photo from Tony Thompson’s blog. and compare it to the model:

The thing that struck me the most was the straight side sill of the model, versus the notched side sill of the R-40-26, and I couldn’t help but get started on one side before I had sense enough to photograph the unmolested side. What’s more, the back of the side has guides for cutting the side sill. It’s not perfect, but between the guides and the photo on Tony Thompson’s web site, I was able to quickly correct the most glaring discrepancy. There are a few other things:

1. The model lacks the bearing blocks for the PRECO circulating fans (the round detail on the bottom left hand side of the car). This can be corrected with the addition of a Details Associate’s #215 Refrigerator Car Details w/PRECO fan.
2. Placement of the tack board. (The Details West kit mentioned above includes tack boards, defect card holder, and other side details.
3. The model is equiped with polling pockets, while PFE had abondoned this feature by the time the R-40-26 was built.
4. The model has a single row of rivets for the side panel seams, where the R-40-26 has two rows, with the second row alternating. I have ordered (but not yet received) Archer Alternative Center Rivets for Freight Cars (P/N AR88030). I hope these will provide the correct rivet pattern. Otherwise, I’ve got a lot of individual rivets to apply.
5. The lower door track is much too heavy. Since I’m not fond of replacing the door hardware (with what?), I’m going to live with this discrepancy.
6. The model is missing the door stops to prevent the door from sliding (open) beyond the end of the track. I have yet to decide if and how I’m going to model this.

Then there’s the usual detail and modification work: replacement of the plastic stirrup steps with A-Line formed metal parts, elimination of the S-scale coupler pocket (no thanks to NMRA recommended practice RP-22), Plano Models etched brass roofwalks, and other underframe details.